Swiroset.com

With a veritable flood of smartphones hitting the store next door and manufacturers responding by creating mobile-friendly web applications, mobile phones have become the ultimate platform for advertising. Games are one of the most popular ways to monetize mobile traffic and the iPhone has shown new avenues for monetization by opening its doors to third party apps.

Drawing more users into the GPRS space of mobile phones, the craze for social networking has led users to use their smartphones for more than just emailing, instant messaging or browsing. Facebook alone has 300 million users (as of December 9) and Twitter is constantly challenging them with similarly attractive numbers. Almost a quarter of all Facebook users connect via mobile phone. With such a large number, advertising options have multiplied and new ways to monetize mobile traffic have evolved.

To monetize mobile traffic

The different ways to monetize mobile traffic are:

* Mobile web banners and posters

* MMS Announcement

* Advertising within mobile games

* Full screen interstitials

* Audio announcements before voicemails, such as phone ticket reservations or directory assistance.

Still, games tend to be the most attractive app of all, and ads placed within games tend to have the best ROI. Interstitial ads that appear while users download or browse different apps also yield impressive ROI. By helping advertisers evaluate the best of these new options, the impact of an ad campaign can be measured by impressions (views) and click-through rates. Other matrices are also used, such as conversion rates and click-to-call rates.

Your best bet for monetizing mobile traffic

The best way to monetize mobile traffic is to offer interactive ads. Take for example; the videos have hot spots that can be used to launch the product page. In this way, advertisers not only give users control, but also generate more retention from their campaign. Other engagement tools, such as surveys or polls, can be integrated with the apps.